Worksop mum’s fury at daughter’s exclusion for being ‘caked in make-up’

Sophie Wills

The mum of a Worksop pupil “excluded” for wearing make-up has urged the teenager’s school to rethink its “ridiculous” discipline procedures.

Rachel Barr says her daughter, Jazzmin, aged 16, was excluded from Outwood Academy Portland for being “caked in make-up”, even though she was only wearing “a bit of foundation, eyebrow pencil and highlighter”.

It comes after another 16-year-old pupil at the academy was excluded last week after dyeing her hair red.

Rachel said: “This was a complete shock to me.

“Jazzmin is a regular attender, rarely gets detention, causes no trouble and is about to sit her final GCSE exams, in which she is predicted good grades above Cs in all subjects.

“She doesn’t usually wear make-up for school, but she did put some on that morning, as she was going out after school.

“It definitely wasn’t caked on. She was just wearing foundation, highlighter and eyebrows.”

Rachel says she feels she is fighting a “constant battle” with teachers at the academy, who also told Jazzmin she could not attend her school prom after taking two days out due to bullying.

A spokesman for the Outwood Academy Trust, which runs the Netherton Road school, said:“ While we will not comment on specific students, the academy clearly states in its behaviour policy, ‘noticeable make-up is not allowed and any make-up must be discreet’.

“This guidance is repeated within the students’ planners.

“No student is excluded for wearing make-up.

“They are, however, asked to tone down any noticeable make-up and will be excluded for failing to follow this reasonable request.

“Any students attending the academy wearing make-up not considered discreet is given the opportunity to remove it.”